Opportunity fire and monitors

[Forst22]

The rules say you can attempt opportunity fire fire each arc of fire ie front, broadside and rear.

This is straightforward if each battery is separate like a classmate ship, so if a potential target starts in the front arc, then passed into the broadside arc, you can test for each battery seperatly, but only once each per target.

How do you treat a monitor in the same circumstances?

Does it only have one arc 365 degrees, so can only test once or can it test once for each arc e.g. Front then side?

Up to now I have tended to allow it to test once per arc, but only let each gun fire max of once per target?

Thoughts?

[martin goddard]

Hello Graham
The monitor can shoot into every hex that touches the monitor.
If a moving ship moves through 3 monitor touching hexes ,it can be shot at 3 times by the monitor.
If a moving ship moves through 4 monitor touching hexes ,it can be shot at 4 times by the monitor.

This makes monitors dangerous at close range.


martin

[Sean Clark]

You've still got to make the opportunity rolls though. And as the Monitor and most other Monitor class ships only have a couple of guns, I don't think it's too bad.

Having said that, I'll  probably  get sunk by a Monitor using opportunity fire next time I play 😅🤣😂

[Forst22]

This ruling appears to contradict the paragraph on page 45 ( above the highlighted one), which says you only get one opportunity shot even if in broadside arc for 1 OR 2 hex?

Hence my query. Does a monitor have only one arc is 365 degrees, or does it use the same as other ships. Ie front , broadside, rear?  As written the first would give only one opportunity fire, the latter normally a max of two? (Unless shop was moving at 4!)

[martin goddard]

I will go away and have a more think.
Don't forget that 360' = a revolution. 365 = days in the year

martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

Is there a similar logic here to a pivot gun i.e. if it's fired to the left, it can't then fire to the right in the same turn, despite the fact that it could actually be brought to bear (albeit likely not reloaded by then)...?

Simon

[martin goddard]

The 5,6 should (??) give shots 1 in 3 times.
At the moment I think the monitor should get an opportunity like graham suggets.
ie one try per face

When i played this a lot I would have known instantly.
How does that sound?

martin

[Forst22]

365 vs 360? I think age is getting to me!

're pivots, I would suggest they can only fire out of one arc in any one turn, so once they have rolled for opportunity fire in say broadside arc, they have forefitted the right to roll in another arc that turn.

My logic with the monitors is that they can rotate the turrets while loading, so there is more chance for them to track and fire, than more fixed guns.

If you use the optional rules, then they only get to fire on a 6 as they are heavy, so rolling for more than one arc is reasonable.

[martin goddard]

The 5,6  must remain due to simplicity of game play. Also it would spoil the game if players knew you had shot one way and thus they are immune when they sail along the other side. These things were all considered in great holistic detail when the rules were written.

I am getting together with Richard soon to refresh my knowledge of the rules.

The critical at 5 matter seems to have got some chat going. That is good.
It is best if players try to stay with the rules as they are. After all, they are the result of 100s of games.

If you count in 5s from the start point it is never clear that a number is a critical unless you constantly remind the other players what the start number was. Don't forget that there may be 12 ships on the table all with different hit point starts. This would exclude the opponent player from knowing what is going on. Not good.

If you count from zero upwards then it is never clear how close to the end a ship is unless once again you constantly ask what the total is.  This would exclude the opponent player from knowing what is going on. Not good.

The reason why the opponent needs to know the situation is for game jeopardy and a simulation of knowing how effective shooting is. Don't forget that these ships are often only 50 yards from each other and can thus see most of what is happening.

I suggest that tinkering in such ways just makes the game harder to play.


martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

Thank you for these explanations, Martin.

Laying out the "game philosophy" like this is really helpful - particularly for those of us who weren't involved in the play testing.

Simon

[martin goddard]

I do come across as a bit dictatorial I know (sorry) , but RFCM rule sets are play tested an enormous amount. This is why there are not usually any amendments and a 10 year average life span. Not many sets of actively sold rules achieve that 10 year span (?).


martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

You could be more democratic, but then have to re-issue a new version of each ruleset every 2 years as folk find ways to break them, Martin...

Probably not good for making any progress in sculpting things, though...

As you say - people will like them if this is the kind of thing they like

Simon

[Commander Klank]

It was suggested in our group that when a ship comes up on its first critical hit of the game the owning player can avoid the critical effects of that hit by rolling a 4+ on a D6; the ship still loses the 1 point of damage. This once a game "save" for each ship represents the ship being resistant to critical damage for the brief time it is in top shape. It also would help ships that start 1 or 2 points from a critical hit have a bit more resistance to getting knocked out the game after the first few damaging hits.

We might kick it around a bit.

[Smiley Miley 66]

Jerry that sounds like a good compromise.
That's a very good thought.
Miles

[Sean Clark]

As with any set of rules once you buy them, they are yours to do as you wish. But they are always worth playing 10-20 times as written to make sure you understand them.

Any house rules are fine between consenting adults, but when playing with strangers it's always better to stick to what is in the book. I can honestly say that over all the years I've been playing RFCM games, I have yet to play one I didn't enjoy. That's quite a record.